Stardom Goddesses of Stars #3 2015 Review

If you have not visited this website before, welcome to Joshi City! From now on all my reviews of Joshi events will be here at Joshi City, as I expand the website. I mostly watch Joshi these days so the change is only natural. So let’s get to the first Joshi City full event review!

There have been a lot of changes in Stardom not only in 2015, but just in the last few months. More rookies debuted in October, and now we have Kellie Skater back! I love Kellie Skater for many reasons, so I am stoked to see her. Not only that but she brought a friend with her, Evie, a wrestler I have heard about but have not had the pleasure of watching. The rest of the card is pretty weak as three of the other five matches are rookie matches, and the other two are nothing special so hopefully the main event really delivers. Here is the full card:

The middle of the card looks flat but I do enjoy these rookies so I expect the show to start and end strong.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Saori Anou

I’ll be honest, I still haven’t figured out what Anou’s deal is. She officially is still listed on the roster for Actress girl’Z, but she has been wrestling in Stardom for their last several events. Usually really small unknown promotions don’t send their wrestlers to have a learning excursion in the largest Joshi promotion, so there is something behind the scenes I simply don’t know about. Mimura is a rookie with Stardom, her debut was delayed due to injury and she is 29, much older than your usual rookie. This match is the first in a mini Rookie of Stardom tournament taking place tonight.

This was a pretty straight-forward match, as you probably figured out. They started with wristlocks, Anou knocks Mimura to the mat a few times with shoulderblocks and covers her for two. Scoop slam by Anou and she works on Mimura’s leg, but Mimura pushes her away and applies a rolling leglock. Anou crawls to the ropes to force a break and they trade elbows, sidewalk slam by Anou and she covers Mimura for two. Quick schoolboy by Mimura but it gets two, another roll-up by Mimura but that gets a two as well. Dropkick by Mimura, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Anou elbows her repeatedly and hits a rolling bridging fisherman suplex for a two count. A backslide with a bridge gets the same result, and as Mimura flips out of the hold she covers Anou for the three count! Hiromi Mimura wins the match!

What was memorable here is just how nice of a bridge Anou has. The rolling fisherman suplexes, the backslide with a bridge, all beautiful. Beyond that it was basic and short, it clocked in at under five minutes. A few nice spots and they both show potential, overall a decent way to start the show.

Jungle Kyouna vs. Starlight Kid

This is the next match in the Rookie of Stardom Tournament. Kyouna just debuted on November 15th, but showed a lot of power moves and won in her first match. Not a lot is known about Starlight Kid, such as her age or experience, but she is very small. Which I am sure means that Kyouna will be throwing her around shortly.

Kyouna pushes Starlight Kid hard to the mat right off the bat but Starlight Kid elbows her and they trade shots. Dropkick by Starlight Kid but Kyouna blocks the Irish whip attempt, elbows by Starlight Kid but Kyouna hits a shoulderblock. Cartwheel into a swinging headscissors by Starlight Kid and she dropkicks Kyouna again, Starlight Kid goes for a scoop slam but Kyouna reverses it. Starlight Kid sneaks in an inside cradle for two, tilt-a-whirl cradle by Starlight Kid but that gets a two as well. Standing Moonsault by Starlight Kid, but Kyouna bridges out of the pin. Starlight Kid applies a crab hold but Kyouna muscles out of it and applies a crab hold of her own. Starlight Kid gets to the ropes to force a break, Rainmaker by Kyouna but Starlight Kid barely gets a shoulder up. Kyouna goes for the Hammerthrow Powerbomb but Starlight Kid reverses it with a hurricanrana, dropkick by Starlight Kid and she hits the Shiranui for a two count. Starlight Kid gets on the second turnbuckle but Kyouna grabs her and hits a powerslam for two. Kyouna grabs Starlight Kid and this time nails the Hammerthrow Powerbomb, picking up the three count! Kyouna is the winner and moves onto the finals of the Rookie of Stardom Championship.

This started slow, but the last minute or so was entertaining. I though the first Hammerthrow Powerbomb would work and it would just be an uneventful match, but Starlight Kid surprised me by reversing the move and then delivering a string of offense to almost pick up the win. That salvaged the match a bit, it still wasn’t top level as Kyouna literally just debuted and is learning still, but it made the match more memorable. Starlight Kid is itty bitty but that makes the moves look more impactful, it may limit how far she can go up the card but she is fun to watch. A solid rookie match.

Alex Lee vs. Holidead

This match has limited appeal to me. I like Holidead’s character but last time we saw her she lost in a title match so the ‘aura’ is already a bit tarnished. Lee is a perfectly fine wrestler but doesn’t really take the lead in matches, so I am not sure which one of these two will take control to structure an entertaining match. I guess we are about to find out.

They kick off with a knuckle lock and arm work. I do wish that wrestlers with a “I’m crazy” gimmick did less cooperative limb work, seems a bit out of character. Lee boots Holidead hard in the head for the first advantage, she dumps Holidead out to the apron and then kicks her down to the floor. Lee goes out after her, but Holidead beats Lee with a chair (that is more like it) and throws Lee into the ring post. Back in the ring Holidead applies a Dragon Sleeper before kneeing Lee in the back, sleeper by Holidead but Lee gets a foot on the rope. Holidead goes up top but Lee avoids the diving legdrop, back kick by Lee and she dropkicks Holidead in the chest. Lee kicks Holidead into the corner and hits an ugly pedigree of sorts, covering Holidead for two. Missile dropkick by Lee but Holidead hits a lariat, schoolboy by Lee but it gets two. Superkicks by Lee and she hits a hard elbow for a two count. Holidead blocks a superkick and elbows her back, she gets Lee on her shoulders and hits the Snake Eyes. Holidead legdrops Lee while her head is hanging over the apron, back in the ring Holidead picks up Lee and hits a Samoan Drop. She goes for another one but Lee wiggles away and they trade pin attempts. Holidead boots Lee as she gets up, Samoan Drop by Holidead and she gets the three count! The winner of the match is Holidead.

This was pretty much all my worst dreams come true. There was one segment of the match I enjoyed, when Holidead was taking it to Lee outside the ring, but everything else was disjointed and sloppy. It is unusual to see genuinely sloppy wrestling in Stardom so I will be surprised with the new wrestlers coming in if they will continue using Lee and Holidead until they get a bit more seasoning. Not a good showing by either one and a match that can be safely skipped.

Datura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo

This is a bit of a hodgepodge. Kato and Hojo have teamed before but Yoneyama has teamed with Datura only once in the past as Datura is still pretty new to Stardom. Probably not going to be a long term stay, especially since Stardom has a fresh crop of gaijins coming in soon, so this match is more about Kato and Hojo. Hojo has gotten a bit of a mean streak lately that I absolutely adore, but Azumi is down with them and she is showing an attitude now as well. So clearly they are winning but hopefully the journey to get there will be entertaining.

Kato and Yoneyama are the first two in and do some intro level mat work, Kato goes for the arm but Yoneyama shakes her off and applies a leglock. They eventually return to their feet and tag out, bringing in Hojo and Datura. Datura gets the early advantage but Hojo stomps on her, armdrag by Datura but Hojo flips her out to the apron. Datura goes up top and hits a diving armdrag, she grabs Hojo but Hojo elbows her off. Spear by Hojo, Kato comes in and they both apply armbars to Datura while Azumi poses on her back. They leave the ring as Hojo goes back to work on Datura before tagging in Kato, dropkicks by Kato to Datura as Azumi strolls back in, but Azumi kicks Kato so that she can attack Datura herself. I have no idea what is going on with those two. Datura splashes Kato in the corner and hits a cartwheel bodypress, picking up a two count. She tags Yoneyama, elbow drop by Yoneyama to Kato and she chops her in the throat. Kato jumps up to the top turnbuckle and applies an armbar over the top rope, diving bodypress by Kato but it gets two. Cross armbreaker by Kato but Yoneyama rolls out of it and applies a crab hold.

With Azumi’s help, Kato reaches the ropes, but Yoneyama jumps out of the ring to go after Azumi. Back in, Kato gets the cross armbreaker re-applied but Datura breaks it up. Kato tags Hojo and they double team Yoneyama, Hojo goes up top and she hits a jumping forearm smash on Yoneyama. Hojo goes for a spear but Yoneyama avoids it and knees Hojo in the back of the head. Northern Lights Suplex by Yoneyama and she makes the tag to Datura. Lariat by Datura to Hojo and she applies a cross kneelock, but Kato breaks it up. Yoneyama runs in and hits a bodypress on both of their opponents, Yoneyama gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton. Moonsault by Datura, but Azumi breaks up the pin. Datura goes up top but Hojo avoids the diving body press, Azumi comes in and clubs on Datura. Azumi kicks Hojo by accident, La Magistral by Datura but Hojo gets a foot on the ropes. Hojo applies a modified crab hold, Yoneyama grabs Kato but Azumi helps free her. Hojo slams Datura to the mat, she goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop for the three count! Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo win the match.

One of the few things that tends to annoy me even in the non-realistic world of professional wrestling is blatant cheating that is ignored. Unless I missed the No DQ announcement there is no reason that Azumi should have been allowed to continually help one of the teams. In Japan it is not unusual for action on the floor to be a “No DQ Zone” but she was getting in the ring and actively participating in the match. Beyond that, all four (well five I guess) of the wrestlers in the match looked good, but was just a bit disjointed and ended rather suddenly. Just a standard mid-card tag match, with some extra oddness due to the 3 vs. 2 atmosphere.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Jungle Kyouna

The winner of this match wins the Rookie of Stardom Tournament! There is no belt or trophy, just bragging rights. Both of these wrestlers debuted in the last few months so it is an even fight experience wise, although Kyouna does have the strength advantage.

Kyouna gets the advantage first as they end up on the mat, but Mimura slaps on a sleeper hold. Back up they trade wristlocks and strikes, until Mimura lariats Kyouna in the back of the head. Kyouna clubs Mimura to the mat but Mimura blocks the Rainmaker, rolling leglock by Mimura but Kyouna gets Mimura on her back and slams her into the turnbuckles. Sleeper by Kyouna and she swings Mimura around, cover by Kyouna but it gets two. Lariat by Kyouna, but Mimura reverses the cover into a cradle for two. Kyouna goes off the ropes but Mimura sneaks in a bodyscissors into a pin for another two count. Stomps by Mimura and she slaps Kyouna, but Kyouna catches her with a powerslam for two. Kyouna grabs Mimura around the waist and drops her with the Hammerthrow Powerbomb, picking up the three count! Kyouna wins the Rookie of Stardom Tournament!

First I gotta say, this is the second match that Kyouna did or went for a Rainmaker, and it is awfully cocky for a wrestler in her second match to be doing one of the most protected finishers in wrestling as a transition move. Anyway, these two both show flashes of potential, I think they both will be good if they continue to train and improve, but right now there isn’t a lot of structure to their matches. Some of the transitions were shaky and Mimura is better than Kyouna at showing emotion to get the crowd into it. Certainly not a bad match, and considering the experience levels of the participants pretty solid, but about what you’d expect from two wrestlers still in the learning phase of their careers.

This match is for the vacant Artist of Stardom Championship. The title was vacated for a very good reason, as two of the wrestlers (Koguma and Chelsea) are no longer around and the titles had never been defended since they were last won in May. So hopefully the winner of this match will actually defend the championship. Challenging for the title is the best of Oedo Tai, the Hyper Destroyers, and what I will call Team Stardom since they don’t have a team name. Doesn’t bode well for their chances of winning. This is Evie’s first match in Stardom but Skater vouched for her so she got a title shot in her first match. Each team has a weak link so it is anyone’s game, first pinfall wins with three wrestlers legal at the same time. So yes it will be chaos, we’ll see how this goes.

The match begins with Wolf, Iwatani, and Skater as the legal women, and they take turns doing cute pin spots with obviously none picking up the win. That would be an unsatisfying main event. Each trio takes turns tagging out so we get fresh match-ups, as I patiently wait for the chaos I promised a minute ago. Matsumoto is triple teamed by Team Stardom, which is quickly broken up. They all end up on the floor brawling, with Kimura eventually returning with Iwatani so Oedo Tai can triple team her. And pose on her, of course. The beatdown on Iwatani continues for a moment until finally Shirai comes in to help, but the bad girls stay in control until the Hyper Destroyers return. Oedo Tai gets the better of them also and all six are thrown in the corner and hit with running strikes. Kimura misses her running strike, leading to all six of her opponents hitting running strikes of their own. Things calm down as Kimura puts Watanabe and Skater in a submission hold, Matsumoto then stacks Iwatani onto Yasukawa and applies a double crab hold. Shirai then puts Evie and Wolf in a double wristlock until they all let go and face off again.

Shirai gains control and dropkicks everyone, she covers Kimura but it gets two. Skater is tagged in as is Iwatani, and Iwatani hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Headscissors by Iwatani and she nails a dropkick, Snake Eyes by Skater and she levels Iwatani with a lariat for two. Shirai returns but Skater kicks her in the head and tags in Evie. Kicks by Evie to Shirai and she boots her in the corner, but Wolf quickly covers Shirai for a two count. The wrestlers apply leglocks to each other in a cricle while Matsumoto puts Wolf in a Romero Special in the middle, but Watanabe runs in to get a quick cover for two. Watanabe dropkicks Skater, Iwatani and Shirai come in and all three dropkick Skater. Somato by Watanabe to Skater, but Skater kicks out. Oedo Tai triple teams Evie, but after Yasukawa’s senton the pin attempt is broken up. Iwatani grabs Wolf as Shirai goes up top, but Wolf wiggles away. Boot by Kimura to Iwatani, and Wolf covers her for a two. Kimura elbows Yasukawa by accident, Kimura goes up top with Shirai but Matsumoto grabs them from behind and they do the powerbomb/superplex. Matsumoto picks up Shirai and hits the Tornado Bomb, but Watanabe breaks it up with a Somato for a two count. Matsumoto elbows Watanabe, next Skater and Evie both kick her, then Matsumoto hits a reverse double kneedrop. Evie goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving footstomp, and she picks up the three count! The Hyper Destroyers are your new champions!

I feel the need to point out, if it is necessary, that these are the least prestigious titles in Stardom. That is not to downplay the victory, but rather to explain why it was kinda a silly match with so much going on and why the title match was on a B show. Still though, it is exciting to see Skater win a belt in her first match back and Evie win a belt in her first match in Stardom. Hopefully the titles will be defended more often this time so I can see more of Skater and Evie. As for the match, it was what it was. Chaotic at times, quite random, but while it dragged in a few parts overall it was pretty entertaining. The big issue with this type of match is no one really can stand out, nine wrestlers is just a lot in one match, so even though I hadn’t seen Evie before I still don’t have a great feel for her as a wrestler. Far from a classic, but it had some cute spots and some cute wrestlers, so definitely worth a casual view. Mildly Recommended

Final Thoughts

Like all promotions, Stardom has "A" shows and "B" shows. Big event shows and house shows. Whatever you want to call them, not every event can be stacked and they all can't deliver a MOTYC. This show certainly did not do that, but what the promotion did offer was a fun (and uncut) show that allowed the young and new stars a chance to shine. It set the stage for the big event down the road. The show is really designed for the hardcore fans, and if you are a hardcore fan of Stardom you will enjoy seeing the rookies wrestle and Evie debut. For casual viewers looking for high end matches, however, this one can be skipped as it did not deliver in that area. But I'm still excited for the Hyper Destroyers and I hope they will defend the titles so they are not forgotten again.